Brace for bedsteads



(N Model.)

y M. MGE. BITCH. BRAGB POR BBDSTEADS.

Patented'Mar, 28, 1893,;

"1 IIMI IIIIIIIUHHIUII l 1| l 'lll'l Illllllllliillllll'l-Ill l I' iNTTED STATES PATENT OFFICEe MILTON MCKEE BITCH, OF LAURINBURG, NORTH CAROLINA.

BRAcE FOR BEnsTEADs.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 494,228, dated March 28, 1893.

Application filed June 80, 1892. Serial No. 438.611. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.'

Be it known that I, MILTON MCKEE RITCH, a citizen of the United States, residing at Laurinburg, in the county of Richmond `and State of North Carolina, have invented a new and useful Brace for Bedsteads, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to an improvement in braces for bedsteads, the object of my irnprovement being to provide a simple, cheap, easily applied, and effective brace, which may be readily operated in connection with any ordinary bedstead.

A further object of my invention is to provide a brace which will draw the posts-toward the center of the bedstead and thus bind it against the ends of both the side and head rails by a draft in one direction,and furthermore, to provide means to prevent the bulging of the centers of the side rails, and draw the latter snugly against the ends ofthe transverse slats.

My invention is fully described in connection with the drawings and the novel features thereof are specifically pointed out in the claim.

In the drawings: Figure 1 is a plan View of my improved brace applied in the operative position to a bedstead. Fig. 2 is a detail View of the clamping screw and cross-heads.

A represents the bedstead, having the headrails, B B, side rails, C C, and posts,D. Into the inner angles of the posts, between the side and head rails are screwed the hooks or eyes, E E, and into the centers of the side rails are screwed similar hooks or eyes, E E. Continuous tension Wires F and F extend longitudinally lof the bedstead, and connect, respectively, the head and foot posts at each side of the same, the ends of said wires being engaged in the hooks or eyes, above mentioned. The centers of the tension wires are connected to the centers of the side rails, (through the hooks or eyes, E) by the short, doubled connecting links or transversebraces, G G.

The clamping device comprises the oppositely curved cross-heads, H H, having their extremities engaged with the tension Wires upon opposite sides of the transverse connecting links or braces, and the double-acting lightening-bolt, K, oppositely threaded at its opposite ends and engaging correspondingly threaded or tapped openings in the centers of the cross-heads, the transverse cross-bar, L, being provided at the center of the tightening-bolt to enable it to be turned to draw the cross-heads toward each other to increase the tension upon the tension Wires or move them farther apart to reduce the tension thereof. The extremities of the cross-heads are preferably provided with eyes, h h, through which the tension-wires pass. It will be understood that as the cross-heads are drawn toward each other by the operation of the tightening-bolt, the tension-wires will slip through the eyes in the ends of the cross-heads, so as not to strain the connecting links unnecessarily, the strain thereon, however, being sufticient toprevent bulging of the side-rails. It will be apparent that the strain upon the arms of the crossheads during the adjustment of the device and while in operation is great, and therefore it is expedient for this reason,as well as with a view to reducing the cost of manufacture to the minimum, to form the tapped openings or sockets for the reception of the tightening bolt in the center of the cross-head as shown, whereby each cross-head-comprises a single piece. This construction also enables me to accomplish the desired operation with a minimum number of parts. v

From the above it will be seen that myimproved brace consists of two tension wires, connected at their centers to the centers of the side rails by transverse connecting-links and a clamping device connecting intermediate points of the opposite tension-wires upon opposite sides of said connecting links. The

strain upon the connecting links is directly toward the center of the space inclosed by the bedstead and directly in alignment with the transverse slatsM M, and the strain upon the tension-Wires is longitudinal, and in the direction of the center of the space inclosed by the bedstead. bled to prevent the strain thereon, which is more direct than that upon the tension wires, from causing fracture.

It Vwill be noted that the tension-device, as described, is complete in itself. That is, no

The connecting links are dou- IOO outside means or devices are required to assist in the adjustment ot' the clamp. The cross-bar L, being a part of the adjusting screw is always in position for use.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is

In a device of the class described, the combination with a bedstead frame, eyes secured to the corner posts, and eyes arranged at the centers of the side-rails, of tension wires attached at their terminals to the eyes upon the corner posts and having their intermediate portions drawn inward toward the center of the space inclosed by the bedstead frame, a tension device comprising duplicate yokes H provided with terminal eyes through which said tension-wires are threaded and central tapped eyes, a transversely-disposed bolt K engaging said central tapped eyes and means to operate such bolt, and short transverse wires G, connected at their out-er ends to the eyes at the centers of the side-rails and connected at their inner ends to the centers of said tension-wires between the arms of the yokes H, whereby the portions of the tension wires between the terminal eyes of the yokes are held at fixed distances from the centers of the side rails, substantially as specified.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto affixed my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

MILTON MCKEE RlTCH. Witnesses:

JAs. C. RoBBiNs, A. W. HARNER. 

